The use of stethoscopes is wide-spread in the medical community. With the increasing incidence of hospital acquired infections estimated by the CDC to be 2.4 million cases causing 100,000 deaths per year and with the recent emergence of multiple-antibiotic resistant organisms, particularly vancomycin-resistant staphylococci and other bacteria for which no current antibiotics may be effective, techniques to minimize the spread of infection between patients have become vital.
The stethoscope typically includes a head portion with a diaphragm disposed thereon which is placed against the patient, and a pair of ear pieces in communication with the diaphragm through which the internal sounds of the human body can be heard. A health care provider places the ear pieces in his or her ears while applying the diaphragm against the skin of the patient. Due to the sensitivity of the diaphragm, the health care provider is able to hear inside of the patient's body and thereby diagnose illness or determine that no illness is present. For example, when the diaphragm is placed on the patient's chest, the health care provider can listen to the respiratory and heart sounds to determine whether abnormalities are present.
Unfortunately, by contacting the patient's skin, the stethoscope can become contaminated with microorganisms which might be present on the patient. This is especially significant with patients who have skin contaminated with dangerous infectious organisms which can be transmitted by skin contact. Using the same stethoscope on more than one patient progressively increases the risk that infectious diseases will be passed between patients. Although sterilization of the stethoscope would prevent most of the transferred disease, it is extremely impractical to sterilize a stethoscope between each use on a patient. For physicians, nurses and other health care professionals working in hospitals and other health care settings where numerous patients are examined in rapid succession, sterilization of the stethoscope would be next to impossible. Further, even the use of cleansing agents such as alcohol, which reduces but does not eliminate all microorganisms, is not practical in todays medical settings.
Because of these concerns, several means for reducing the spread of infectious diseases by way of a stethoscope have been developed. Particularly, several shields have been developed which fit over the stethoscope head. The shields typically include an elastic retention means to hold the shield on the stethoscope head when in use, and allow changing of the shield between each patient. Such shields, however, suffer from several problems. First, several of the shields are awkward to position on the stethoscope. Because many of the shields functionally require two hands to be used to place the shield over the head of the stethoscope, the health care provider must put down the patients charts, etc. in order to attach the shields. Further, the shields generally attach to the stethoscope's head by securing about the side opposite the diaphragm. In such a position, there is significant risk that air will be trapped between the diaphragm and the portion of the shield which will contact the patient. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that air adjacent the diaphragm greatly reduces the ability of the diaphragm to transmit the sounds within the patient's body. A shield of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,046 issued to Turner.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,424,495, 5,528,004 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,706, each issued to Wurzberger disclose a dispensable, disposable cover for stethoscopes. The dispensable, disposable cover set forth therein prevents the transfer of disease or other contaminants through the incorporation of a shield having an adhesive backing for removably attaching the shield over the entire surface area of a diaphragm of the stethoscope. The shield is peelably detachable from the stethoscope diaphragm after use. In various embodiments of the cover set forth therein, the shield includes a pull-tab or flap which allows for the ease in manipulating the shield. However, these shields are individually dispensed from a dispenser by the health care professional and applied to the stethoscope individually. This requires the health care professional to come into unnecessary contact with the shield when applying the shield to the stethoscope. Moreover, this requires that a dispenser containing a supply of stethoscope shields be either carried by the health care professional or the need for a dispenser to be placed in not only each room but also corridors and waiting rooms within the medical facility. Moreover, should such dispenser not be readily available to the health care professional, the likelihood of such a shield being used is minimal.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,025 issued to Stark et al. discloses a shield for temporary securement to a stethoscope head to completely cover a diaphragm of the stethoscope head and seal the interior and diaphragm from the ambient atmosphere. The cover includes a flat, double-sided thin plastic sheet and a layer of adhesive on one side of the sheet to releasably secure the cover to the outer rim surface of the stethoscope head. The shield is accommodated on a tape having a plurality of such shields thereon which is withdrawn from a dispenser, removed from the tape and applied to the stethoscope. Again, it is necessary for the health care professional to handle the shield and the dispenser in order to remove the shield from the tape and apply the shield to the stethoscope. Additionally, as discussed hereinabove, such a dispensing system requires that the health care professional carry a supply of the shields with them or that a dispensing mechanism be provided within each room of a medical facility. Clearly, there will be times when it is impractical to use the shield because such shield is not readily available to the health care professional.
A still further effort to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, the stethoscope shield set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,561 issued to Budayr et al. includes an annular flange disposed to extend generally upwardly from the shield towards the head of the stethoscope to protect the stethoscope from body fluids disposed on those patient's skin. However, the shields are provided in a stack with the uppermost diaphragm being removed from the stack and applied to the stethoscope in the manner discussed hereinabove. Once again, such a system requires handling of the shield in some manner and likewise requires the medical care professional to carry a dispenser along with them or have a dispenser provided in each room of a medical facility which, as noted hereinabove, is not feasible. Additionally, this system requires the exposure of the adhesive to the environment over long periods of time and the use of two hands during application.
Clearly, there is a need for a stethoscope shield for protecting patients from transmission of diseases as well as a method of use of such shields which is practical to use in the environment to which it is intended. Further, there is a need for a stethoscope shield system which overcomes the above-noted deficiencies and which is of a design which may be implemented in rapid secession which is mandatory in a clinical setting and also provides an opportunity to monitor health care providers compliance with barrier protection polices of the medical facility.